To Hear a Whisper
by FutureEducator
Summary: As a general rule, kids don't like Steve McGarrett. Except for the one who is a potential witness to the latest crime Five-0 has to solve. Ava is an eight year old with autism and doesn't talk to anyone nor look them in the eye. When she meets Steve, will she be able to help solve the abduction of her foster parents? Steve is the only one who can decode Ava and find them in time.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey guys! So I got this idea in my head and couldn't get it out, so here I am...writing it down. I have only watched through the beginning of season 3, so I'm sorry if this scenario is covered in an episode or somehow otherwise fulfilled. ON TO THE STORY! p.s. I don't own anything recognizable here. It all belongs to CBS. Otherwise Steve would be shirtless even more than he already is.**

Chapter 1

It was a running joke between them, that Steve had no idea what to do with a child and that children seemed to run the other way when they saw him coming. Danny and Kono were usually the ones who dealt with whatever children they came across.

However nothing about this case has been normal. It started a few days ago when a seemingly random couple was carjacked from their driveway. Thankfully, they had sent their newest foster child, an autistic girl named Ava, inside already to make sure they didn't get behind on her daily schedule. It was the disruption to this schedule that led to the crime being found out.

*8 hours ago*

"Danno, it just isn't that funny! I don't see why you keep laughing. You sound like a hyena!" Steve kept grumping. After the latest attempt to talk to a child, which ended with the young boy bursting into tears and running back to his mom, Danny couldn't help himself from teasing the Navy SEAL. "I do perfectly fine with Gracie!"

"Gracie is just a one-of-a-kind child," Danny retorted giving Steve a look that said 'you really think that I'll give up that easy?'

"So I guess she gets her "uniqueness" from you?" Steve shot back, putting air quotes around the word uniqueness.

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Nothing, just that differentness must be in her genes, and since Rachel is a perfectly normal human being, anything weird must come from you," Steve smirked, sure that Danny couldn't come up with a response to that.

"In _what_ world would you call my ex-wife, who left the continental United States for a place surrounded by the ocean and covered in _pineapples,_ normal?!" Steve burst out laughing at Danny's offended look.

"Hey, Boss! We just got a case," The call came from Kono, the youngest and only girl on the team. "It appears that a couple was robbed and subsequently abducted. No sign yet if the couple is still alive, but there is a potential witness. However, HPD hasn't talked to the witness yet,"

"Well, why not? The longer they wait, the less chance we have of finding our missing couple alive," Steve interrupted.

"If you would let me finish," Kono stared hard at Steve, who looked away and waved his hand in a 'go on' sort of motion, "The potential witness is an eight year old girl with autism. According to her caseworker, she is non-verbal and sensitive to touch and sounds. There is no telling if she saw, heard, or understood anything that was going on. HPD was only notified because an older woman who was walking her dog heard screaming coming from the house. Apparently, the girl was in the midst of a meltdown since her schedule was interrupted. Her caseworker said that even the slightest variation can cause a meltdown to happen, and it usually involves lots of screaming and thrashing. This will be fun," Kono finished the SitRep on the phone in the car, since Steve and Danny rushed out of HQ at the first mention of a child.

Kono sighed when she hung up her phone. Obviously, this was going to be one of those cases that, no matter what happened, would hit close to home for the two men. She glanced at her cousin, Chin, and reevaluated her thought. Make that three men.

 **A/N2: hey all! I'm back. Sorry this is so short. Hopefully the chapters get longer the deeper I get in to the story and the more depth the characters get. I have no idea how often I will be able to update, but probably more often than I've updated my other stories :) Just bear with me and keep in mind: reviews make the world go round and me smile.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sadly, I still don't own anything recognizable. The only things I own are the mistakes and the plot and the OC(s?).**

Chapter 2

Upon arriving at the house, Kono got out of her car and immediately cringed. Even from the street, the child's heartbreaking shrieks could be heard. She peered at the others to gauge their reactions. It looked like this was going to be especially hard for Danny and surprisingly for Steve as well.

Kono watched Steve's face, wondering at the emotions that ran across his face. Usually they were hidden and only a select few could read them, but today, they were out for anyone to see. Sadness, regret, guilt, and understanding. They ran across his face in seconds, but it was enough for Kono to get the sense that this might just be as hard on Steve as it was for the rest of them.

"Alright, Danny, I want you to go talk to Duke and see if they have any new information about this case since the last time we talked to the. Chin, go talk to the case-worker. I think her name is Shelley McConnal. See if she has any insight about Ava. Kono, you and I are going to go see if we can get Ava to calm down. Perhaps if we get her back on schedule, she will be able to calm herself," Steve took charge, just like normal. However, there was a hint of urgency in his voice that wasn't usually there, even in the most stressful situations they've run across.

"No problem, Boss. I'll go see where she is,"

"Excellent. I'll start looking around the house. See if there is any clue about who did this or what they want with our couple," Steve took off towards the house without giving Kono a chance to respond. Perhaps it was just as well. There is no telling what Steve would do on a good day, much less one as bad as this one was turning out to be.

With that final thought, Kono crept up the stairs, nearly completely silent, and followed the shrieks to the back bedroom and to under the twin bed that was set up.

Sliding down the wall furthest away from the bed and still with a direct line of sight, Kono tried to ease Ava out from under the bed.

"Hey, Ava. My name is Kono Kalakaua. I'm with Five-0. We're the good guys. You don't need to cry anymore, we will find your foster parents," Kono tried to convince Ava, with no luck. As the minutes ticked by, Kono still had made no progress with her, when Steve walked in.

"How's it goin'?"

"How does it seem like it's going?" Kono snarked back. She wasn't used to having kids not react positively to her. Yeah, sometimes it took a while, but she could usually get them to listen to her, even if they didn't quite believe what she was saying at that point. With Ava, Kono could tell she wasn't even listening.

Kono could admit to herself that she was in way over her head. She had no experience with kids with autism or special needs. She felt a little out of her element, and it made her uncomfortable.

She jumped when Steve tapped her on the shoulder. He motioned with his head to follow him and walked out into the hallway.

"Hey, why don't you start searching the rest of the house. There's nothing in the kitchen. I'll try up here,"

Kono stared at him, wondering what has gotten into him. Finally she nodded and headed back down the stairs.

Steve wondered to himself what he was doing. It wasn't like he had a _lot_ of experience, just, maybe, more than anyone else on his team. He sighed, knowing that Kono would talk to Chin and Danny to find out what they knew and they would start coming up with outlandish theories on why Steve thought he could deal with this when he made most kids cry, even when he didn't talk to them.

Steve took a deep breath to steel himself, and walked into the room, not knowing that this exchange would change his life in inexplicable ways.

 **A/N: Hey guys! Sorry about the cliffie. I wanted to post a chapter before I went to a review session for history class (ugh). Yay finals. Anyway, the next chapter should be up fairly soon. I am feeling hella inspired with this story right now, so expect a few more updates coming up.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Finals are about to start, and after that is Winter break. Who knows how long it'll be before I update again, but my OCD will not let me leave a story unfinished, so it might take a while, but it'll get done.**

Chapter 3

Steve stopped just short of the bed Ava was hiding under her bed and sat down. He made sure that he was in her line of sight and that he moved slow enough she could see what he was doing, even from her position under the bed.

When he settled into a comfortable position, knowing he could be there for a while, he let out a steady hum. He didn't hum a tune, or in intervals, just a steady hum and a reasonably low pitch. He knew from experience that white noise would sometimes help someone with autism focus on something besides what was stressing them out. Having that focal point to listen to and steady themselves. The only time Steve stopped humming was to take his next breath, always carefully 14 seconds after the last one.

Steve didn't vary how often he took a breath, knowing that patterns were something Ava would be able to find quickly.

It was only a few minutes after Steve started humming when Ava's screams started to taper, and finally stop all together. Steve smiled to himself, and prepared to take the next step. While still humming, Steve slowly lowered his torso so he was laying on the floor next to the bed. While making sure to keep his eyes averted so Ava didn't have to have eye contact, Steve extended his hand cautiously towards the bed and left it palm up.

Steve kept up his steady hum, letting the little girl hiding under the bed relax and get used to him. Seven minutes later, a small hand crept out from under the bed and tiny fingers slowly started to explore his hands. He knew that Ava was processing every hair, scar, and blemish on his hands and he also knew that she would forever recognize his hands at the slightest touch.

After Ava finished exploring Steve's hands, she lightly rested her hand in Steve's. Gently, Steve closed his hard around Ava's, but wasn't surprised when she squeezed his hand harder. The feeling of a light hold seemed to bother her. When Steve tightened his hand, Ava relaxed, the pressure reassuring to her.

When Ava was more comfortable with Steve, he stopped humming and started talking to her, "Ava, may I hold you?"

Ava took some time to consider her answer before she scooted a little closer to Steve.

"Hey, sweetie. I'm going to pick you up now and put you in my lap and hold you tight. You will be perfectly safe and I won't hurt you, okay?" Steve asked. When there was no noise of discontent, Steve did exactly that and picked her up and sat her so that Ava's back was to his chest and wrapped his arms around her with enough pressure to help Ava relax, but not enough that she would get hurt.

The two sat there for a bit, until Steve noticed that Ava was feeling his badge. He shifted around and pulled it off of his belt.

"Here, can you hold this for me, Ava? I need you to make sure nothing happens to it, okay?" Ava didn't respond in any other way except for a tightening of her grip on the badge with one hand. The other one was feeling the bumps and ridges that ran along the badge and the badge number and where it said Five 0 Task Force.

Suddenly, Steve heard Kono through the comms, "Boss, I found Ava's schedule. It says right now she is normally spending time in her...sensory deprivation room, and that at precisely 3:37 pm, she gets a sliced apple with peanut butter and chocolate chips." Steve looked at his watch and saw that it was only 3:13. He had 24 minutes to get downstairs, cut up an apple, and make it for her so that Ava would be back on schedule.

"Alright, Kono. Thanks. Make sure you grab that schedule, we'll need it. I have Ava sitting in my lap. I will bring her down with enough time to get her the snack. Are you still looking around, or can you make the apple for me?" Steve wondered.

"It's fine. I can make it. It seems like I need to cut the apple into 8 slices," Kono responded, trailing off as she got to work reading the precise instructions Anna, the foster mom, made in case Jeff, her husband, ever had to do snack time. _Thank god for men's inability to do even the simplest of tasks without a woman's help,_ Kono thought.

Upstairs, Steve still sat on the floor with Ava until it was time to go down. "Alright Ava. It's time to face the rest of the world again. If I'm with you, can you go downstairs?"

Very minutely and very hesitantly, Ava gave a slight nod of her head. If Steve hadn't been scrutinizing her every move for the last 40 or so odd minutes, he would have thought it was just another random movement, but this one seemed different. More deliberate.

"Alright then, cutie. Let's go face the world," and with those words, Steve stood up, still holding on to Ava and they walked out of the bedroom and down the stairs, heading to the kitchen where Kono was finishing up her preparations of the snack.

 **A/N: Hey guys! 2 updates in one day, don't expect that to happen again. I guess this idea has been floating around in my head long enough that I can just sit down and write. Perhaps this is what motivation feels like? Maybe I should try that with school...nahh. Remember, reviews are awesome. They make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey guys! I've gotten some really awesome reviews. Keep 'em coming, I smile each time I get one, like this :D I've decided that I'm going to try studying for my finals for once (I'm a sophomore in college, and this is the first semester that I'm studying for all of my finals, not just one or two, maybe I'll pull some Bs up to As. Who knows? It's a crazy world) so who knows when I'll update. It will probably end up that I will update more frequently, but short-ish chapters. Keep reading and reviewing please!**

Chapter 4

Steve stood in the doorway to the kitchen with Ava on his hip, his arms wrapped tightly around the small girl. He watched as Kono fought with the peanut butter and apple. Obviously it was harder than it looked, to keep the peanut butter on the apple.

Steve cleared his throat to announce his arrival and Kono spun around, flinging peanut butter onto the floor.

"Geez, Steve. Did you have to sneak up on me like that? Where did you come from? How long were you just standing there?!" Kono was embarrassed that her boss had caught her struggling with something as simple as putting peanut butter on an apple.

Kono looked past her boss and internally sighed. Just her luck, Danny and Chin were both coming in now. Steve seemed to realize her preoccupation and turned around, spotting what was making his rookie so nervous.

Steve glanced between Kono and the door before deciding to save Kono some embarrassment and went to meet the other two members of the team at the door, leaving Kono some time to get things cleaned up a bit.

Danny and Chin were discussing what each had learned while they walked up the front step, "The caseworker said that Ava, the girl, she is severely autistic. Doesn't talk, won't make eye contact. Needs a strict schedule. Mostly her tantrums are like the screams we heard earlier. However, she also said that for the people she connects to, it's different. She's never seen anything like it, even amongst other autistic children," Chin said to Danny.

"Duke only said that the foster mother's name is Anna and the foster father is Jeffery, a.k.a. Jeff. Married for seven years, couldn't have kids, so they saw it as a message from God saying that they need to help other kids, not their own. They've been registered as foster parents for the last three years, usually given children who need special attention, like Ava. All the neighbors say that they were good, God loving Christians and they don't know who would try to-" Danny cut off when he saw Steve on the porch.

Chin looked up, wondering why Danny suddenly stopped talking, a thing very unlike the Jersey native to do. He followed Danny's line of sight and had to blink to realize what exactly he was looking at.

It was Steve. Or at least, someone who looked an awful lot like him. But this Steve was holding the girl, Ava, on his hip and she was swinging her head around, but not looking at anything in particular. And in one of her hands, she gripped Steve's shirt and she had the other one hooked around his neck and was sucking on her thumb.

And Steve...Steve looked content. Happy. It was a strange look to be on Steve's face, especially since there was a child with him.

"Well, well. Is that Lieutenant Commander Steven J. McGarrett with a _child?_ One who appears to be content and isn't screaming like a banshee? What did you do? Did you drug her? Coerce her in some way? Tell me, I gotta know," Danny fired off the questions, not giving Steve a chance to answer, but not really expecting one.

"None of the above. Ava and I...we have an...understanding, of sorts," Steve replied, trying not to be hurt that not a single member of his team took this seriously and had no faith in him that there were some situations that may surprise them that he had experience with.

"An understanding? Oh, that makes perfect sense. Of course. Here, give her to me, you are probably making her uncomfortable," and with those words, Danny reached towards Steve and Ava. Before Steve could tell him not to, he grabbed Ava and the girl went crazy. A shrill shriek pierced the air and she started to violently shake her head. Steve was worried that she would give herself whiplash she was shaking her head so hard.

"Danny, leave her alone. She's fine with me," Steve tried to interject.

"No, no. See how upset she is? Just let me have her," Danny still didn't let go, not understanding what he was doing. Suddenly Ava turned her head and bit Danny as hard as she could on his arm, trying to get him to let her go.

"AHH! Son of a-! She bit me!" Danny couldn't believe it. This little eight year old girl had bitten him hard enough to draw blood _through_ his shirt. He let go of Ava and Steve immediately started to bounce and rock the girl, just like Danny used to do when Grace was fussy.

"Hey, little girl. Shhh. Shhh. Why don't we take a few deep breaths and go inside and have some lunch. Kono made you apple slices with peanut butter and chocolate chips. Does that sound good? I think so," Steve kept talking to Ava and tightened his grip on the girl, letting her feel the security of his arms.

The duo went inside and headed for the kitchen. When Ava saw her snack, she stopped crying and tried to jerk Steve over to the kitchen table.

When Steve tried to set her down in the chair that was clearly hers, Ava started moaning and held tight to Steve's shirt. He looked down at her, contemplating.

"Ava, do you want me to sit with you?" Steve asked, not really expecting an answer. However, he did get an answer.

Ava slid one of her apple slices over to Steve. Steve understood at once the significance behind her actions. For a girl who lived her life on a strict regime, with nothing changing, offering Steve one of her apple slices was huge. If Steve had just taken it, or it had been missing, another tantrum would've been had, but this was an offering. A plea. Ava begging for Steve to stay with her and protect her.

And of course, Steve couldn't say no, so he pulled out the chair next to Ava and shared her apple slices.

Outside, Danny saw this whole exchange and knew. He knew that this little girl was special. She would be to Steve what his Gracie was to him. And he smiled, knowing that Steve wouldn't know what hits him next.

 **A/N: Hey, guys. My story is NOT ending, sorry if it sounds like it is. THERE WILL BE MORE CHAPTERS COMING! I love Danny, but I think sometimes he underestimates Steve in matters of the heart. Just because Steve doesn't show it doesn't mean it isn't there. So I had to throw that in. Sue me (please don't. I'm a broke college kid).**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey all. Thanks for awesome reviews. I've spent a lot of time rereading them because they make me feel so good. I don't really have much more to add on, so read away.**

Chapter 5

While Ava was eating and sharing her apple with Steve, he was sitting there deep in thought. He had lots of questions he wanted to ask the girl, but knew that she couldn't answer them. At least, not yet. He may have her simple trust, he hadn't yet earned her communication.

Deciding to start opening the street towards communicating with each other, Steve decided to let Ava know what was happening and what the plan of action was for the foreseeable future.

"Hey sweet girl. Are you ready to listen to me?" Steve asked. He knew about the single minded focus that she would be giving to her task. He also knew that she heard him, but wouldn't acknowledge him until she was done with her snack and ready to move on to the next thing.

Steve waited with a patience that Kono, who had never left the kitchen, had never seen before. She was used to Steve deciding on a course of action and not waiting for anything. Backup, meetings, nothing. Steve was a man of doing, but looking at the man sitting at the table in front of her, she saw an infinite amount of patience for Ava.

Was it too much to hope that that patience would follow into other aspects of Steve's life? Kono snorted to herself in amusement. It probably was too much to ask.

Looking back at the table, Kono saw that Ava had finished eating but was just sitting there. She started to ask Steve why Ava wasn't doing anything, but he seemed to sense her curiosity and raised a hand to stall her question.

The two of them waited another four minutes in silence while Ava sat as still as Kono had ever seen her, until Ava suddenly started moving around again. Her fingers were drumming on the table, her feet were kicking the air, and she turned so she was vaguely facing towards Steve.

That seemed to be the signal he was waiting for because once she faced him, Steve started talking to her.

"Ava, I need you to listen to me, okay? Your foster parents are missing right now, and for your safety, I'm going to take you home with me. You and I are going to hang out and have lots of fun while my team looks for your parents. See the girl over there," Steve jerks his thumb in Kono's direction, "her name is Kono. She's part of my team and will help keep you safe. The blond man is named Danny. I call him Danno. The other man is Chin Ho. We usually just call him Chin. Do you know what I am telling you?"

Ava didn't respond right away, but seemed to let Steve's information sink in a little bit. Ava let out a moan, pitched higher than the one earlier. It seemed that pitch level indicated a level of agreement. Steve could work with that.

Steve looked up, saw Danny hovering by the front door, and waved him over.

"Hey, Danno. Get me up to speed," Steve requested.

"Um, well, the girl, Ava, is severely autistic. The couple, Anna and Jeffery Gallagher, have been together for seven years. Couldn't have children. They, uh, were the only couple willing to take on such a severely disabled child, according to the cops, and the case worker said that no one else they talked to would 'let such a troubled kid into their homes' because they thought she would 'make their other kids weird as well…" Danny cut himself off when he saw the look on Steve's face.

Steve couldn't believe what he was hearing. He knew it wasn't Danny's words, but rather the cops', but to call a beautiful child like Ava _troubled_ and _weird_? It was enough to make Steve's rage almost boil over. However, one glance at Ava and Steve calmed himself down, knowing that his rage wouldn't help anything, but in fact, might make things worse.

Danny had his eyes shut tight, waiting for the inevitable Super Seal explosion, but it never came. He braved a peek through his eyes and saw Steve looking at Ava and visibly calming down. He decided right then and there that there was nothing he wouldn't do to keep these two together.

Danny had never seen Steve react in such a way. Not to dogs, not to Gracie, not to anything. But Danny could see the love that Steve had for this child. He could see it because, even though Steve is usually harder to read than a pet rock, Danny had seen that look countless times. Because it was the look he got whenever he thought about Gracie or was around her. That look of utter devotion and love, Danny was glad that Steve finally got to experience that.

After a few minutes had passed, Danny cleared his throat. As much as he wanted Steve to be able to bond with his new daughter, because he could see that that was where Steve wanted to take this, there was work to be done.

"Hey Steve, why don't you take Ava to go get some clothes and head back to HQ for a bit? The rest of us can finish here and we can stop by Kamekona's for some dinner on our way back," Danny suggested.

Steve glanced over and saw that Danny was giving them a way to spend some time together and also keep Ava safe.

Steve nodded his agreement, "Alright. That's a good idea. Ready to go, Makamae?" Steve directed his question to Ava who's only answer was to get up from her seat and start walking towards the door.

"Well, Boss, I guess that's a yes. Here, I have her schedule," Kono handed the schedule to Steve who gave it a once-over.

"Alrighty then. Next up is...sensory therapy. Guess I'll go grab her some of those blue foam blocks we saw in her room. See you all later," and with those parting words, Steve followed Ava to the entryway and told her to wait there while he went to get the blocks.

Ava smiled and, while she didn't stand completely still, she didn't leave the entryway until Steve came back down. Steve grabbed Ava's hand and led her to the car.

Danny and Kono waited until they couldn't hear the engine of the Silverado anymore before they got back to work, their minds still on their smitten boss and the adorable little girl who has become part of their Ohana.

 _Makamae - precious_

 _Ohana - family_

 **A/N: Alright. Another chapter down! Big bad Steve isn't so big and bad now, is he? I'm sorry if any of you guys got cavities, I had a piece of cake before I wrote this and had to share the sweetness with all of you! Please review.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Nothing new to report. Sorry about taking so long, I keep getting distracted while at home on break. Enjoy the holidays!**

Chapter 6

Steve glanced at the girl sitting in the back of his Silverado, wondering why his heart hurt at the thought of the case being over. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Ava would no longer be in protective custody if they solved the case, meaning she would be yanked out of Steve's life.

Well technically, Ava wasn't in protective custody now, but he was sure he could swing it with the governor. Convince Dennings that it was necessary since Ava was the only witness to a double abduction. Plus, the Five-0 _ohana_ would stick up for him and with all five of them rallying around the little girl for protective custody to be given under Steve's protection, there was no way it wouldn't happen.

Steve smiled to himself, eager to start getting to know Ava better. He knew at the end of the day he would need to let his team know what was going on between himself and Ava and why he was so insistent that she stay with him.

When the two arrived at Steve's house, Steve consulted the schedule Kono had found for Ava, ready to tackle whatever was next. According to the schedule, Steve and Ava had made it to Steve's house with just enough time to get settled before starting sensory therapy.

"Alright, Ava. Ready to play with some blocks? Huh? Sounds like fun to me, what do ya say?" Steve turned around in his seat to look at Ava and couldn't stop the grin on his face when he saw the huge grin Ava had on her face. Obviously she knew exactly was he was saying, and obviously she was thrilled that Steve would stay with her, "Let's go, buttercup. Time's a-wastin'," Steve cajoled before getting out of the driver's seat and opening the door to the back seat where Ava was waiting.

When Ava got out, she gave the yard and neighbors a cursory glance before looking in Steve's direction again. Finally, Ava crouched down, right in the middle of the driveway, and picked up a rock. She turned and held it out to Steve. Steve took it, unsure of what it meant, but resolved to look it up sometime that night, convinced that Ava was trying to tell him something.

Kono met Danny and Chin around the front of the house.

"Nothing around the perimeter. However, I did notice that there are some inconsistencies. Some branches on the ground in an otherwise clear area, an almost perfect circle of no leaves, as if someone wanted to make sure they weren't heard, things like that. But no boot prints, shell casings, anything," Kono started.

Danny started speaking next, "Well the house is clear of all bugs. Nothing to record video or audio,"

"So either our abductor stalked these people physically without drawing attention in a middle class neighborhood, it was someone they knew, or…" Chin didn't finish. He couldn't think of a third option.

"Or the killer took their surveillance. Maybe they had an alternate way of watching the house?" Kono finished.

The three of them gathered around the hood of Danny's Camaro, looking at the computer that Kono was using to look at traffic cameras in the area.

"Uh, guys? Could this person use the Gallagher's computer to spy on them? Don't most laptops have a camera and microphone built in? And I know that I don't, or at least, I didn't, close mine when I turned it off. Is there a way to hack the computer to get the camera working?" Danny didn't want to be right about this because if he was, it would mean that he would have to go buy himself and Grace new computers that didn't have cameras, and he didn't have the money for that.

Kono and Chin looked at each other for a moment before Kono went to the computer that was sitting near by.

"You know, Danny. Sometimes I like it better when you don't think. It makes me unnecessarily paranoid about things," Kono said. Chin snorted a laugh at that and nodded his head in agreement. Danny was brilliant, but sadly, that brilliance had to affect them in new ways, but they wouldn't change him for the world. The _haole_ changed their lives, for the funnier.

"Well, Danny, you were right. There is a trojan horse virus that gave someone remote access to the camera and microphone in this computer. We'll have to disable that before we can talk in front of it. Pass the word to the crime lab. Make sure they don't talk about anything sensitive around the computer until they get rid of the spyware,"

"Already on it, Kono. It's like you don't trust me," Danny mock grumbled. He knew very well just how much the cousins trusted him. And it was more than his ex-wife ever had. Maybe that was why he and Rachel didn't work out.

He hoped that Steve could handle Ava better than he had handled Grace when she was first born.

 **A/N: Sorry for the horrible chapter. I was kinda losing focus on the chapter as more ideas started floating around in my head. Hopefully I'll get that straightened out and can resume updating more regularly.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hey everyone! So I still have ideas bouncing around in my head….So when this story is over, you can expect another one! Distractions suck, but I'm trying to get these chapters out as best as I can. Please review! They feed my productivity. Also, if there is a name in this chapter that you know, I highly doubt that I own it, so please don't sue me.**

Chapter 7

"Well, Ava. It's not much, but for now, it's home sweet home," Steve announced to Ava, turning in his seat to look at the young girl. "What do you think?"

Ava didn't say anything, nor did she give any indication that she heard what Steve said, but he got the distinct impression that Ava was pleased with what she saw. Ava was rocking back and forth in her seat in the back of the extended cab of Steve's Silverado. Ava was shaking her head in figure eights while rocking. There also seemed to be a hint of a smile on her face. Nothing big, but maybe a glimmer in her eyes that told Steve she was happy and pleased.

Steve got out of his truck and went around to help Ava out of her seat. Steve gripped Ava's shoulder, making sure that he gripped firmly enough that it made Ava comfortable with the contact but not so hard that it would hurt or bruise her.

Ava slipped out from under Steve's hand, not liking the feeling. But after a moment, Ava grabbed Steve's ring and pinky fingers. Steve looked down at his _maikai keiki_ and smiled gently. He led Ava inside and gave her a tour of his house.

"This is the living room, I have cable, so you can watch whatever you want. This is the kitchen. Up those stairs is the den. Along this hallway is the bathroom," Steve led Ava up the main staircase. "Here is my room. If you ever need me at night, come wake me up. I won't be mad. This is your room. If you want to change anything, just let me know. I want you to be comfortable while you're here."

Steve stopped and gave Ava some extra time to explore her room. It was very simple, with a full size bed in one corner. On the wall across from the door, between two windows, sat an old wooden desk that Steve vaguely recalled being bought at a flea market back when his mom was still alive. There was a dresser a few feet away from the bed, positioned so that the sleeper could literally roll out of bed and be in front of the dresser, ready to put on the first thing their hands touched. Steve knew from experience that pre-teen girls weren't the most fun to wake up, and teenaged ones were even worse.

After a few minutes of letting Ava explore, Steve interrupted her explorations with a deep, soothing voice, "Ava, sweetie. We need to go to the next thing. You can come back later and finish exploring. But right now, we need to get you started with your therapy," The words seemed to have little effect on the girl as she continued to look around the room and inspect areas at what appeared to be random intervals. "Ava, we need to stick to your schedule, don't we? It says that right now we should be having sensory therapy. Do you want to stick to your schedule?"

Those seemed to be the magic words and Ava turned abruptly and walked out of the bedroom, going to what she remembered as the living room. She promptly went and sat down in front of the small coffee table, facing the couch. She sat there patiently, waiting for Steve to bring her the blue foam blocks. Steve chuckled and placed as many as fit on the table in front of Ava. He started to walk away, heading into the kitchen, when Ava started to get agitated.

Steve walked back up to the table and squatted down next to Ava. " _Maikai keiki,_ what's wrong? Why are you so upset? I'm just going into the kitchen," Steve didn't really expect an answer so he was surprised when Ava tapped his chest with one hand while pointing to the couch with the other. "Oh. Do you want me to sit with you?" When Ava smiled at his words, Steve got up from his crouch and went to sit on the middle cushion, directly across from Ava.

Steve was looking at the girl across from him and forming a plan of action in his head while keeping an eye on what Ava was doing. Obviously the first thing was to get the girl comfortable in his house. Make sure she knew where everything was. Next was probably getting Ava used to being around the entire team. She hadn't met Chin or Lou yet, but if her meetings of Danny and Kono were anything to go by, it wouldn't be an easy first few encounters. Perhaps introducing just one at a time would help Ava, especially if Steve were there to help Ava get comfortable and make sure no one did anything that could upset the child. Then Steve would have to set up a multitude of doctors appointments: dentist, pediatrician, physical therapist, psychologist...the list was on-going, leaving Steve to wonder how Danny had any hair left after 12 years of this with Gracie.

With a mental list set in his mind, Steve finally let himself relax for the first time since he and Kono found Ava in the house. He just let his mind wander while he played blocks with the small girl. Ava seemed to delight in being able to knock down the tall towers that Steve was building with his blocks. _Maybe we should try Jenga,_ Steve thought. He quickly revised that thought at the next moment when Ava managed to make a crash with the falling blocks, something that was quite a feat since the blocks were foam and didn't make much sound when falling.

The following 47 minutes was spent with Steve and Ava playing around the coffee table in the middle of the living room. It was relaxing and Steve had a thought that it was something he could very easily get used to. And Steve smiled, realizing now that that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Maybe he could be SuperSEAL and also be a SuperDad. Danno managed, and if Danno could manage, then so could Steve.

When the time was up, Ava knew immediately and, without prompting, got up and went to the bathroom, just like her schedule said. Exactly 3 minutes later, Steve spied Ava going up the stairs. He mentally called up the schedule and realized that it was time for Ava to lay down in her room and wait for dinner. This was the one time of the day that was "unscheduled", meaning that whatever Ava wanted to do, as long as it was kept in her room, she could do. She could nap, read, play with blocks some more. Whatever she was in the mood for. Steve remembered the note that Anna put on the schedule she wrote. _Ava likes being able to have some choice. Letting her have time to specifically choose whatever she wants lessens the amount of fighting she does when she is told to do something._ _VERY IMPORTANT!_ With a note like that, you could bet safe money that Steve will be letting Ava have this time to herself.

He decided that while Ava was playing contently in her room, he could start making some of those phone calls he needed. Steve sighed, hopefully once the initial appointments were out of the way, things would be smoother sailing. But wishing is for dreamers, so Steve took another deep breath and picked up the phone, making an appointment for the pediatrician that Danny had recommended, hoping, wishing, that it would go well and Ava didn't cry or have a tantrum.

With a date set with the doctor for the following week, Steve puttered about the kitchen, making dinner. It was only a matter of time before Ava came down hungry and in search of food, and Steve would be damned if dinner wasn't ready when that time came.

 **Maikai keiki - precious child**

 **A/N: Sorry for the wait! I was on vacation for the last week and for yesterday and today (it feels like longer) I have been at training for my RA position at school. Boring as all get-out, but it must be done, so I do it. I make no promises for when the next update might be, but it will happen and this story will prevail and go on.**


	8. Chapter 8

Steve startled awake. His internal clock said that it wasn't time to wake up yet, so what woke the SEAL? He lay in bed, listening to the creak of the house settling on its foundation, the rumble of the air conditioner, and finally, he heard a moan.

Confused, Steve froze. Who else was in his house? Then Steve remembered everything that had happened and burst from his bed, rushing to go see what Ava was moaning about. He pushed open the door to her room and saw Ava thrashing around on her bed, fighting her covers. Steve didn't think, but immediately grabbed Ava's arms and held them down at her sides.

"Shhhhh…..Ava, listen to me. It's Steve, remember me? You're safe now. You are in the guest room at my house and you are just having a bad dream. Everything is okay, you hear me? Shhh," Steve continued to talk to Ava, not sure if he was getting through, but unwilling to stop trying. Ava stopped struggling after a few minutes and woke up, looking around in dazed confusion.

When she caught sight of Steve, Ava immediately jumped into his arms, shaking and crying. "Shh, _kaikamahine._ It's all okay now. I will protect you, Danny will protect you, Kono will protect you, and Chin will protect you. There is nothing that can get by all of us. There is nothing to fear. Shhh," Steve continued his ministrations, seeing that they were working and calming the girl.

When Ava was completely calmed, Steve glanced at the clock next to the bed and saw that it almost time to wake up anyway, so he picked Ava up and decided to bring her into his room so he could shower and shave. When Steve set Ava down on his bed, she jerked out of her light doze and grabbed at Steve.

"Hey, pretty girl. I'm just gonna go shower and change and then we can go downstairs and I'll make you breakfast. I'll let you help, if you want, but you have to let me go," Steve cajoled. Ava looked at him and after a few minutes, nodded her consent and let Steve place her in the middle of the bed.

After one of Steve's legendary 3 minute military showers, Steve held his hand out for Ava to take to help her off the bed, but she shook her head and reached toward Steve with both arms, asking to be held. Obviously her dream was affecting her more than Steve thought. Steve was willing to oblige Ava's request and lifted her onto his hip and grabbed his phone from the nightstand and they both headed down the steps.

Steve thought that today would be a good day for french toast. He turned to Ava to ask what she wanted on hers.

"Ava, do you want chocolate chips on your french toast?" _Shake._ "Okay, what about...blueberries?" _Shake._ "Oh, um, I think I have some cherries. Do you want those?" _Shake._ "Alright. No chocolate, no blueberries, no cherries. Do you want some cinnamon apples?" _Nod._ "Alright. Cinnamon apples it is. Do you want to help me prepare the apples?" _Nod._ "Deal, come here. I'll cut the apples for you and you can mix the apples with the syrup and sugar together while I cook up the french toast," Ava gave her most enthusiastic nod yet.

Steve chuckled and grabbed a bowl off the top shelf and placed it at the spot where Ava was sitting and brought over a few apples, a cutting board, and a knife over as well and sat down next to her. He slipped the apple slices into the bowl, half an apple at a time.

Ava had a smile on her face that lit up her entire body. Her eyes were lit up and there was a huge grin on her face and Ava was struggling to keep still and not drop anything on the floor. Steve glanced at Ava and smiled to himself when he saw her enjoying herself so thoroughly. After Steve cut up three apples, he got up and let Ava enjoy herself while he went to fry up the french toast.

After Steve had a few pieces ready, he stacked them on a plate and walked it over to the table and set it in front of Ava. However, instead of eating, which is what Steve expected, she just pushed the plate to the side, instead focusing on her hands which were back in the bowl of apples.

Steve proceeded gently, knowing that if he rushed Ava it would end with a meltdown, and Steve didn't want to start the day off like that, especially when the morning has been such a success so far.

"Ava. Sweetie, it's time to eat breakfast," Ava didn't respond, still staring at her hands and appearing to be completely absorbed in mixing the apples. "Ava, I'm going to take the apples away, put them on your french toast, and in 20 minutes, you can play with whatever slices you haven't eaten yet, okay?" Steve wasn't sure how this was going to go. Actually, Steve was fairly certain that shit was about to hit the proverbial fan.

Steve was surprised when Ava let him take away the bowl and replace it with the plate of lukewarm french toast. Steve got a serving spoon and scooped some of the apple slices onto the breakfast plate. "There you go, Kaikamahine. It sure looks good," Steve then went back to the stove to make himself a stack.

However, before Steve could crack some more eggs, there was a knock on the front door. Steve was pretty sure he knew who was at the door, but wiped his hands on a dish towel and went to answer the door, not wanting to scare Ava by shouting across the house.

Steve was right. He saw Danny's trademark hair, slicked back in his usual style and dressed in a dress shirt with black slacks and some shiny shoes that looked really uncomfortable.

"Danny. Come on in, why don't you?" Steve asked as Danny brushed past Steve to stand in the living room and look around.

"Where is Ava? You do know she is a person, don't you? You can't just leave her somewhere. God, did you forget to help her this morning? I knew I should've stayed with you last night,"

"Danny! Stop. Take a breath. I did not forget Ava anywhere. She's sitting at the kitchen table eating her breakfast, which is what I would be doing except you came and knocked on my door so I had to come let you in," Steve was upset that Danny obviously didn't trust him enough to care for Ava. Steve had babysat Gracie overnight a few times before and had always returned Grace in one piece, fed, watered, and rested. Danny had never had a reason to doubt him before, and Steve couldn't understand why he was doing so now.

Danny looked down, a little ashamed at his lack of faith in his partner. He knew that Steve could handle children, but Danny was unsure about Steve's ability to deal with a kid with special needs, as well as having to share his space with a child for the rest of his life. With Grace, Steve could just give her back to Danny, so it wasn't that big of a deal, but when the child never left, well, Steve only ever had so much patience. Danny thought that he had been completely reasonable with he showed up at breakfast instead of some time during the night.

"Help me understand, Steve. I want to understand how you are so good with Ava and how you know what to do with her. Parenting is hard, and parenting a child with special needs is even harder, yet you are able to do it immediately? What's going on?" Danny just had to know. His detective's curiosity was working overtime, and he couldn't find anything in Steve's file. Danny was not ashamed to admit that he looked closely at Steve's file the night before, trying to find when Steve would of had experience with special needs children. However, he found nothing. Zilch. Nada. This led Danny to assume that it had something to do with Steve's life as a SEAL. Most of his service file was redacted since Steve was the best of the best and went on highly classified missions that he couldn't tell anyone about. The missions that kept him up at night and gave him nightmares after some cases.

"Danny, can't you leave well enough alone?" Steve ran a hand through his hair. He knew his partner well enough to know that Danny would never leave this alone, but he had to try.

"Sorry, partner. No can do. So spill," Danny could see Steve's reluctance to continue, but he could also see that Steve was about to break and he would finally know where Steve's experience came from.

"Fine. I can't tell you everything. Some of it is classified, but I can tell you most of it. It started on a mission to Iraq…" and Steve started telling Danny his story. The story that no one, not even his commanding officer, knew in its entirety.

 _Kaikamahine - baby girl_

 **A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for sticking with me. Sorry about the delay, all my professors decided that instead of tests, they would just assign a bunch of papers, and sadly, most are assigned around the same time. Like I said, this story is NOT abandoned, but it will have highly inconsistent update dates. I will not promise anything except that I will finish this story if it kills me. The next chapter will be Steve's story, so you will get to hear it, but it may take a while.** _ **Mahalo**_ **and happy readings!**


	9. Chapter 9

Steve looked over at Danny, silently asking if he was ready to hear this story. Danny must've seen something in Steve's face, because he took one of Steve's hands and said, "I'm here for you, buddy. Whatever you can tell me, I want to know. I want to understand," and Steve just took a deep breath and nodded. After checking Ava to see if she would be occupied for a while, Steve started talking…

" _It started on a mission in Iraq…we weren't the first forces there, but it was obvious that the locals were wary of us. They wanted to believe we could help, but they didn't know how effective we would be._

 _I had only been there about a month when I saw this girl. Danny, she was so beautiful, it wasn't even funny. For some reason, she thought that I was good enough to start dating, with her father's permission and her brothers' approval. But the thing was, she was recovering from being raped and I was the first person outside of her family she was willingly interacting with. Man, it was so humbling, knowing that out of everyone in the world, I was the person she was letting comfort her._

 _Anyway, we dated for months. Eventually, she gave birth and we found out that her child, her beautiful, perfect little boy, was severely autistic. Apparently, her rapists gave her some sort of drug after raping her to stop any pregnancies, but it obviously didn't work. She was devastated. Her family, already not happy she kept the child, was not going to accept a "brain damaged" one…_ " Steve started to tear up by this point in the story. Danny couldn't help but think that he's severely underestimated his friend, his brother, for all the years they've known each other, and he was so ashamed.

"Hey, man. If it's too painful, you don't have to tell me. I can mind my own business," Danny offered.

"No, Danny. This is something I need to get off my chest. I've been holding it close for so many years, but it needs to come out,"

Danny nodded at Steve's words, "Okay, then. Continue,"

" _Right after her little boy was born, she named him Ezra, she gave him to me, saying she needed to know that he was with someone who would and could care for him in the way she couldn't. She still saw him, and me, but I had primary custody. When Ezra was about five months old, his mom was killed. Suddenly, I was the only thing this kid had. His mom just died and her family wanted nothing to do with little Ezra._

 _So I talked to my CO, and he said he would see what he could do. He warned me that I may need to quit the SEALs if I wanted to care for Ezra. I told him that I would do whatever I can to give this kid a shot at a good life._

 _He was able to station me semi-permanently in Iraq, so at least Ezra was surrounded by his culture. I couldn't take that away from him._

 _I was able to stay in Iraq for three years. By the time Ezra was one and a half, it was pretty hard. Ezra needed a strict schedule, and he didn't always have that since we moved around so much. Very quickly I learned what would calm him and what would drive him up the wall. However, I couldn't always avoid those things that he couldn't stand. I felt so bad. All this kid, my kid, wanted was something he could follow and consistency. I couldn't even provide those things to him._

 _But when he was almost four, literally just a few weeks from his birthday, there was an attack. I had been keeping him on base with me. He was kinda like a mascot, everyone knew him and he knew everyone. He was given more free rein than some of the other soldiers. But he was out playing soccer with some of the guys on base when a mortar attack hit. He was fifteen feet away from the initial blast. He never had a chance,"_

Danny could see Steve getting emotional. Obviously he was, he basically lost a child in a war that took everything from him. Danny could suddenly understand. He could understand why Steve was so good with Ava's needs, he could understand how Steve was so natural with Gracie. He understood why holidays were so hard.

Danny could also see that that person, the one who took in the kid of a girlfriend after she died, that was the real Steve. Not the hardass the Navy made him, or the seemingly unfeeling SEAL, but the one with the caring heart and the soul that shined through the tough exterior, despite how hard Steve tries to hide it.

"C'mere, brother. He lives on through you. You gave him the best three years he could've ever asked for. Nothing you did was wrong and you are not to blame for anything," Danny told Steve with a hug.

"But Danno. If I hadn't insisted on staying in Iraq, he wouldn't've gotten killed. It was my selfish decision that ultimately led to his death, and there is no forgiveness for that," Steve tried to push away from Danny, feeling unworthy of his comfort.

"No. You tried to give that boy what he deserved, a life surrounded by culture and people who were like him so he didn't have to grow up wondering who he was and why he was different. You did exactly the right thing," Danny tried to console Steve. Danny also knew he had to apologize to Steve for doubting how he would do with Ava.

"I'm sorry for how I acted towards you, man. I knew you were good with Ava, and I guess I was just a little jealous that you can suddenly care for kids, as well as everything else you can do that I can't. I'm sorry, buddy," Steve shook his head.

"Danno, I know you didn't mean it. I also know that I don't seem like the kind of guy who could care for a kid, much less one with autism. Besides, if I hadn't had practice with Gracie, I wouldn't know how to deal with someone older than four,"

Danny just looked at Steve, trying to decide if he was being serious or not. Since he couldn't decide, he just shook his head, "C'mon. Let's go see how Ava's doing," and he led Steve back to the kitchen, and back to the present, not letting him dwell on his sad past. At least, not for right now.

 **A/N: Hey guys. Thanks for sticking with this! I know it's been a while. I could give you some excuse, but the truth is, it took me a while to decide how to write a tragic backstory, and I probably didn't do that great of a job, but honestly, I just kinda lost interest for a bit. Again, this story will eventually come to a close, but it will be finished. Just probably not in a timely manner. Sorry for the delay, it'll probably happen again! TTFN**


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: I will be mentioning some brands in this chapter. I just want to be clear that I own absolutely nothing except for the horrible writing. I would be a lot richer otherwise.

When Steve and Danny got into the kitchen, they found Ava happily eating her French toast and keeping an eye on Steve. She wiggled with excitement when Steve got back into the kitchen and he took the opportunity to introduce her to Danny again, unsure if she remembered him from the last time.

"Hey, sweet girl. This is Danny. Do you remember him? I call him Danno," Steve said to Ava as he pulled the chair out next to her and plopped himself on it, waving for Danny to take his pick of the rest of the seats, which Danny did.

"Hi, Ava. Like Steve said, I'm Danny. You can call me Danno, if you want. I have two kids, Grace and Charlie, and they also call me Danno. I don't mind if you do want to, too," Danny seemed unsure on how to continue conversation with her. With any other little girl, he could ask who her favorite princess was or what color dress was her favorite, but he seemed to struggle to hold a conversation with a girl who couldn't answer.

Steve seemed to sense Danny's internal struggle and picked up the conversation seamlessly, "So Ava, I was thinking that today I would get in contact with some people and set up some appointments for you. Like a pediatrician and a dentist. I use Navy personnel, so I have to get you civilians, but I think that'll be okay. And while I make those phone calls, you can either watch Sophia the First, Handy Manny, or Paw Patrol. After that, we can start with some therapy. I don't have a quiet room set up yet, but I figured if I put you in my room and I went for a short run or swim, the house would be quiet enough for you to concentrate. But if you don't want me to leave the house, it's easy enough to sit down here and do paperwork while you relax. Does that sound okay?"

Danny eyed Steve, not unsure he gave Ava too many things to think about. After all, it's not like she could answer, so how would Steve know if she wasn't okay with anything? He decided to voice his concerns to Steve, knowing he would answer honestly.

"Steve, how do you expect her to be able to say if she's okay with everything? You gave her a lot of options without stopping to let her respond to you. I mean, I know you have experience with autism, but is that reasonable?"

"Danno, I know you're only saying this out of concern for Ava, which is why I'm letting that slide. Ava can very easily show if she's upset with anything and she can think circles around me and knows what she can and cannot handle. I have to trust her and she has to trust me. That means I need to give her options and trust that she'll be able to choose the best option for her and she has to trust that I will do what I say and that we will still get everything done on time," Steve stopped. He could understand where Danny was coming from. He didn't know how easily it was to upset someone who was used to their schedule. Danny may think Steve is bad, with his military training, but the military doesn't hold a candle to someone who needs structure in their lives the way certain austistic people do. "Trust me Danny. We would both know very quickly if something wasn't to Ava's liking,"

"Okay, Steve. I trust you. You were right, I was just worried about Ava, but I see you have everything under control now. Maybe I should go…" Danny trailed off at the end of his sentence, seeing that Ava was indeed getting upset about something. She was shaking her head and banging a fist on the table, clearly agitated.

"Uh, Danno, I think she wants you to stay," Ava gave a huge sigh of relief as she heard what Steve was saying and started to rock in her chair, no longer banging her fist on the table.

Danny looked over at Ava, and for the first time, really saw her. He saw how she communicated in her limited way, trying to convey something that he would use a handful of words for.

Such communication was foreign to her, but still, Ava managed to be able to get her point across. She wanted to get to know someone who was so obviously close to her new guardian and who had children close to her own age. And Danny, as a father, was unable to turn away from such a need for attention that he immediately agreed to stay.

"Sorry, Ava. I would love to stay, I just didn't want to get in the way of you and Steve bonding. How about we go find something on the TV now?" Ava stood and pushed her chair in, but just stood there behind it. Danny stood as well, not sure why Ava wasn't moving, until he glanced at the clock on the stove. 8:17. It suddenly clicked with Danny, that with Ava's strict schedule, she could very well be waiting for a certain time before she left the table and was able to start her day.

Sure enough, at precisely 8:19 am, Ava picked up her dishes and rinsed them, putting them in the dishwasher. Danny just left his on the counter and was halfway to the living room before he realized Ava wasn't following him, but just staring at his dishes on the counter. Danny looked between Ava and his dishes a few times before walking back to the counter and rinsing and putting them in the dishwasher alongside hers. He watched, with Steve in the background already on the phone with a pediatrician his own doctor recommended, as Ava relaxed and let out a gusty breath, now able to leave the kitchen and go with Danny into the living room.

Obviously there would be a learning curve, but Danny was willing to be there and shorten that curve as much as he could and help Steve and Ava adjust to each other, while not getting in the way. He owed Steve at least that much.

A/N2: Hey everyone. Thanks for sticking with the story. I'm trying to keep it going as much as possible, but I also want people to realize what it's like when someone in your life is affected by autism. Now obviously all people are different and there are no two cases of autism that are the same, but this is something that sometimes closely mirrors my life. I have a friend with autism, high functioning, but some of these things are things that I've had to deal with when he needed help. He could talk, so that is totally my imagination, but schedules and how seriously he takes things (like Ava and the dishes) are obstacles that he needed to overcome constantly. Sometimes they could be won, but sometimes not. Anyway, reviews keep me smiling and motivated! TTFN!


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry about the long delay, school is a necessary evil, and I'm an RA, so I have a floor full of freshmen that constantly need my attention. Like I said before, THIS IS NOT ABANDONED. It will continue, but very sporadically. Still don't own anything other than Ava, but whatever. I'm not salty about that. Not at all.

Chapter 11

Danny sat with Ava on the couch, watching Little Einsteins, a show that Ava seemed to love. She lit up every 22 minutes when the theme song played and settled herself in a different position for each episode. Danny was having just as much fun watching Ava enjoy herself as he was watching the surprisingly good children's show.

He heard Steve puttering around in the kitchen, probably getting things ready for lunch because their morning was pretty busy, and he was taking advantage of Danny being there to get things done. Danny had to admit that sometimes, _sometimes,_ there was some good that came from Steve's SEAL days, along with the negatives, like the PTSD and Steve's propensity for danger and blowing stuff up.

Danny jerked out of his thoughts when he realized that Ava was watching him now. He smiled at her, realizing that she was just like any other kid who knew when the attention was not on her anymore.

"Hey pretty girl. What'cha looking at? My pretty face?" Danny teased gently. Ava giggled and slowly reached across the space between them and rubbed Danny's cheek, feeling the stubble that seems to perpetually be on Danny's face, no matter how often he shaved. Danny couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face, knowing exactly what that meant for Ava to initiate physical touch.

"Hey precious, are you cheating on me with Danno?" Danny and Ava both turned their heads to look towards the doorway to the kitchen. Steve was leaning against the door frame, still drying his hands with a dish towel, after cleaning the breakfast dishes. "I might be hurt if I didn't know you loved me more, right Ava?" Steve continued, winking at Danny.

Ava got up and ran over to Steve, stopping a few feet in front of him, bouncing in place and looking up at him with adoration in her eyes. Steve smiled down at Ava and Danny saw the love shining in Steve's eyes and knew that Ava had already stolen the Navy man's heart.

"Put the eyes away, _kaikamahine maika'i._ I know you like me best," Steve teased, reaching out slowly to cup Ava's cheek tenderly. Instead of shying away, as she usually did, Ava closed her eyes and leaned her face into Steve's palm, seemingly soaking in the contact.

Danny just sat and observed, his smile shining brightly. He knew that Steve was a huge softie inside, but that not many people got to see it. He certainly did, along with his Monkey. Sometimes Chin and Kono, but all too often Steve put up a strong front, fearing to lose the ones he loves or of being seen as weak. But what Danny has been trying to show Steve for years has been that showing love and letting people into his heart doesn't make him weak, but rather makes him stronger and gives him something to fight for.

Danny got up, trying to give the two a bit of privacy, but Ava noticed and flapped her hands at him, wanting him to stay on the seat.

Danny smiled and said, "I'm just going to the bathroom, sweetie. No need to get upset with me," and left the room, going into the bathroom and closing the door.

Back in the living room, Steve and Ava were still connected in the doorway, each soaking in the comfort and touch while staying as still as possible, trying to preserve the moment for as long as they could.

When Danny couldn't pretend to be in the bathroom any longer, he crept out back towards the living room. What he saw melted his heart just a little bit more, making him fall a little harder for Steve.

Steve had moved himself and Ava from standing in the doorway to the soft reclining chair that Steve usually uses when he hurts too much to go up to his bed after a day filled with explosions and gunfights and other things that Danny is pretty sure gives him aneurysms. Steve was laid back in the chair with Ava laying on top of him, her own hand making the sign for "I love you" resting on Steve's chest, with Steve's hands wrapped protectively around the small girl, a promise even in sleep to always protect her.

Kaikamahine maika'i - pretty girl

The sign I'm talking about is made by putting the middle and ring fingers down, leaving the thumb, pointer, and pinky up, and typically a Deaf or Hard of Hearing person points those three fingers at the person they are talking to.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hey all, again, sorry for the long delay. Shit happens and stuff piles up. I'm not going to keep making excuses, you should all know that I don't update often. But please leave a review, they guilt me into writing more often. Enjoy! PS. Still don't own Hawaii Five-0 :(**

Chapter 12

Steve awoke to a weight on his chest that he wasn't used to. Usually he remembered when he went to bed with a girl and knew to expect them to still be there the next morning, but he didn't even remember going to bed, much less with a girl.

He saw Danny sitting at the kitchen table, across the room, and it all came flooding back. He fell asleep in his dad's old chair with Ava, whom must be the weight on his chest.

Steve's shifting and soft groan alerted Danny to the fact that his partner was now awake. He got up and walked into Steve's line of sight so Steve didn't have to crane his head to look at Danny.

"Well, at least you slept a little bit. Have you slept at all during this case? I've never seen you fall asleep with someone still in the house, much less during the day," Danny was waving his hands around, trying to get his point across, but was also being mindful of Ava and kept his voice down.

Steve glanced down, making sure Ava was still asleep. He gently picked her up in his arms and got up from the recliner, placing Ava back down so she could continue sleeping. She let out a small sigh and curled herself up into a ball and settled back down into a deep sleep. Steve motioned for Danny to join him as he crossed the living room towards his dad's study.

"Now, what were you saying, Danno? Of course I sleep. You've seen me sleep during cases. Why would this one be any different?" Steve tried to deflect Danny's questions, not wanting to think too deeply about why this case was so much harder for him than any other case had been so far, with the exception of Danny being exposed to Sarin.

"Don't try to BS me. I know you better than that. I know when you haven't slept. You get extra crazy. I worry for my physical well-being when you get sleep deprived," Danny was cut off when Steve cocked his head to peer around him.

Danny turned around and saw Ava sitting up in the chair looking sleepy-eyed and slightly disheveled. She was looking around the room curiously, looking for something. _Or someone,_ Danny thought as he saw her entire body light up as she caught sight of him and Steve in the next room.

Ava didn't get up out of the chair, but extended her arms towards Steve in the most well-known request known to parents. Steve swooped over to the recliner and picked Ava up and held her close, with Ava wrapping her arms around his neck and snuggling in to get as close to Steve as she could. With her head on Steve's strong shoulder, Ava let out a small sigh and let a small smile grow on her face while her eyes drooped, expressing the comfort she found in her SuperSEAL's arms.

Danny's heart melted at the sweet sight. He started to walk towards the front door but stopped when he heard Steve inhale sharply. He turned, not sure what he was expecting, only to find Steve looking at Ava with something akin to awe. He had only seen that look once before and it was in a picture. Rachel had managed to photograph the first time Grace called him Danno, and the look on his face in the picture matched what he was seeing on Steve's face now.

Danny was about to ask Steve what was wrong when he, too, stopped short. Ava, it appeared, was more verbal than previously thought.

"Nnnnn," was all Ava said, but it was music to Danny and Steve's ears. And, given the fact that she was reaching for Danny, he chose to think that she was saying his name first, something he was going to have to remember to tease Steve about later.

"Hey, now. What's this? Is one of my favorite girls trying to get her Danno to stay?" Danny asked. When Ava just continued to reach for him, Danny stepped into Steve's space and tried to gather her up, only for Ava to hook one of her arms around Danny's neck and keep one around Steve's. It was clear to the men that she wanted to cuddle with the two people she felt the safest with.

"Danny, what do you say we move this to the couch?" Steve suggested, ready to spend his day with the two most important people to him. This was the first time since before his mom died when Steve was sixteen that he was willing to spend the day doing nothing but sitting on the couch with his arms around is 'ohana.

For the longest time, Steve was sure that he no longer had anyone to call 'ohana. The fact that Danny was willing to spend one of his few free days with Steve was amazing, especially considering the fact that it was at the request of a very special little girl. Steve felt a warmth in his chest that threatened to overwhelm him and caused tears to prickle his eyes. Steve didn't move to wipe them away, willing to let them stay and show to Danny and Ava how much they mean to him the best way he knows how.

Danny looked over at Steve and saw the tears in his eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, but then saw the smile on Steve's face and looked harder and saw the love in his eyes and just smiled, letting Steve have his feelings for the moment before agreeing with Steve.

"Yeah, buddy. Let's go hang on the couch for a while,"

' _Ohana - family - no one gets left behind or forgotten_

 **A/N: Again, sorry for the delay. Reviews will help. Feel free to leave one. Thanks for reading!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I know, I know. Don't harp on the time thing.**

Chapter 13

All Steve and Danny did for the next hour was relax on the couch and enjoy each other's company and the indescribable feeling of being someone's sole guardian. For at least right now.

With that thought, Steve's smile dimmed. He hadn't really thought about it, but he had only taken Ava in because she was in protective custody. Once Five-0 caught whoever killed Ava's foster family, she would have to go back into the system. Steve didn't want to say goodbye, but she deserved closure, even if she may not understand what they told her.

Danny noticed how Steve's face morphed from that dopey grin of his to a look of horror and pre-grief. He wondered what could have caused such a look on his friend's face when just a moment ago, he didn't think Steve's face could get any brighter. Just as Danny opened his mouth to ask his friend what was wrong, Steve's face cleared and the only indication that something was still bothering him were the worry lines that stayed on his forehead.

"Babe? Talk to me. What's going on in that SuperSEAL brain of yours?" Danny couldn't help his concern. With Steve being emotionally stunted from his youth (thank you, Doris), Danny tried to get Steve to realize that feelings, _emotions,_ didn't make someone weak, but rather was a source of strength.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it, Danno," Steve tried to deflect Danny's inquiry. However, Danny wasn't going to let Steve get away with that.

"Nuh-uh. I want an answer. It's just the two of us here. Whatever it is, it can stay between us," Danny cajoled. Steve hesitated, seemingly unsure and hell if Danny knew what to do about it. Steve was larger than life. He was probably the surest person he'd ever met and ever will meet. Steve may be the most decisive person in the whole fricken world. Except, right now, it didn't seem like it.

Steve seemed to waver, unsure of if he was going to give in to Danny's questioning. Danny sensed this and jumped in with another round of persuasion, "C'mon. You know you can tell me. I won't stop bothering you until you do and you know how annoying I can be when I put my mind to it," Danny seemed to hit the one point that caused Steve's walls to crumble.

"I really like this, Danny. A lot more than I thought I would. I'm scared that she's going to be taken away from me. I don't think I could stand it if that happened," Steve paused, wondering if he should continue. He decided that he's in it this far, he may as well share the entirety of his troubles. "What if Ava gets taken away to be placed with someone who can deal with her better than I can? What if I'm not the best person to care for a child? I've already fallen in love with parenting and I don't want Ava taken away from me," Steve broke down at this point, starting to cry.

Danny was shocked. Never did he imagine that Steve's feelings would go so deep so quickly. But it was just like with Grace was born. As soon as that small pink bundle was placed in his arms, Danny knew that his life was irrevocably changed.

"Aw, babe. You know you can take this to the court. Petition that removing her from another house will disrupt her schedule and be detrimental. Plus she's already attached herself to you. I'm sure the governor could also put in a good word if you asked," Danny rubbed Steve's back while he tried to console his tough-as-nails former Navy SEAL best friend

Steve just hung his head down and stilled his body, trying valiantly to control his emotions. Crying wouldn't help anyone right now.

He handed Ava fully over to Danny and got up to head towards the kitchen. Steve just needed a moment to gather himself and wash his face. Ava needed someone to be strong for her, and he would be damned if he couldn't do it.

Steve practically jumped when Danny touched his shoulder, "Danno, where's. . ." Steve trailed off when he saw Ava trail in after Danny.

"It seems someone needed her daddy to help her sleep. As soon as you got up, she reached for where you were. When she couldn't find you, her eyes popped open and she got up," Danny started explaining to Steve.

Danny cut himself off when he saw Steve's look of utter adoration. He turned to fully face Ava and saw what had Steve so enraptured.

"'Tay, 'Leve" was uttered, barely above a whisper, "'Tay,".

Steve looked at Danny to make sure he was hearing what he thought he was hearing.

He stepped to Ava and swept her up in his strong arms. "Are you asking to stay with me, baby doll? To stay in this house?"

Ava nodded and said just one more word, "'Ohana", and Steve was floored. After such a short amount of time with him, Ava had already picked up on what was truly important.

It was with these few words that solidified Steve's resolve and he turned to Danny, Ava still clinging to him in his arms, and said, with steel in his voice, "Danno, I'm gonna need the name of the social worker and her phone number. Ava isn't leaving me if I have anything to say about it."

Danny, intimately familiar with how much Steve has to say, felt sorry for anyone who thought to say no to his partner. "I'll get right on that," and he saw the look in Steve's eyes.

Ava was about to become one very loved and supported little girl. From the entire 'ohana, not just by Steve. Life was about to get interesting and messy.

 **AN: Alright. So. It's only been a year since I've posted. No biggie. I'd apologize, but it very well could be this long until the next update. IDK. Shit happens. But I've promised to finish this story, and damn it, I will finish. At some point?**


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